Queen's Gambit Declined
Encyclopedia
The Queen's Gambit Declined (QGD) is a chess opening
in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit
:
Instead of 2...dxc4, Black instead plays one of various defenses. A common response by Black is:
This is known as the Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined. When the opening Queen's Gambit Declined is mentioned, it is usually assumed to be referring to the Orthodox Line.
The Orthodox Line can be reached by a number of different move orders, such as 1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5; 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5; 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4; 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4; and so on.
, while obstructing his light-squared bishop. By declining White's temporary pawn
sacrifice, Black erects a solid position; the pawns on d5 and e6 give Black a foothold in the center. The Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined has the reputation of being one of Black's most reliable defenses to 1.d4. In this situation, White will try to exploit the passivity of Black's light-squared bishop, and Black will try to release it, trade it, or prove that, while passive, the bishop has a useful defensive role.
An eventual ...dxc4 by Black will surrender the center to White, and Black will usually not do this unless he can extract a concession, usually in the form of gaining a tempo, by capturing on c4 only after White has played Bd3 first. In the Orthodox Line, the 'fight for the tempo' revolves around White's efforts to play all other useful developing moves prior to playing Bd3.
Of the 34 games played in the 1927 World Championship
between Alexander Alekhine
and José Raúl Capablanca
, all except the first and third began with the Queen's Gambit Declined.
), Black's main move is 3...Nf6, though he has other options as well:
codes D35–D69. These are old lines that can transpose
into many other queen pawn openings
. White has several ways of dealing with Black's setup:
in the open file. For Black, the exchange at d5 has released his light-squared bishop and opened the e-file, giving him the use of e4 as a springboard for central and kingside play. While chances are balanced, Black is usually more or less forced to use his superior activity to launch a piece attack on White's king
, as the long-term chances in the QGD Exchange structure favour White. The following games are as model games for White:
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit
Queen's Gambit
The Queen's Gambit is a chess opening that starts with the moves:The Queen's Gambit is one of the oldest known chess openings. It was mentioned in the Göttingen manuscript of 1490 and was later analysed by masters such as Gioachino Greco in the seventeenth century...
:
- 1. d4 d5
- 2. c4
Instead of 2...dxc4, Black instead plays one of various defenses. A common response by Black is:
- 2... e6
This is known as the Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined. When the opening Queen's Gambit Declined is mentioned, it is usually assumed to be referring to the Orthodox Line.
The Orthodox Line can be reached by a number of different move orders, such as 1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5; 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5; 1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4; 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.d4; and so on.
Orthodox Line (general concepts)
Playing 2...e6 releases Black's dark-squared bishopBishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
, while obstructing his light-squared bishop. By declining White's temporary pawn
Pawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
sacrifice, Black erects a solid position; the pawns on d5 and e6 give Black a foothold in the center. The Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined has the reputation of being one of Black's most reliable defenses to 1.d4. In this situation, White will try to exploit the passivity of Black's light-squared bishop, and Black will try to release it, trade it, or prove that, while passive, the bishop has a useful defensive role.
An eventual ...dxc4 by Black will surrender the center to White, and Black will usually not do this unless he can extract a concession, usually in the form of gaining a tempo, by capturing on c4 only after White has played Bd3 first. In the Orthodox Line, the 'fight for the tempo' revolves around White's efforts to play all other useful developing moves prior to playing Bd3.
Other lines
In its broadest sense, the Queen's Gambit Declined is any variation of the Queen's Gambit in which Black declines to capture White's pawn on c4. Variations other than the Orthodox Line have their own names and are usually treated separately.- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c5 – Symmetrical DefenseSymmetrical DefenseThe Symmetrical Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:First described in print by Alessandro Salvio in 1604, the opening is often called the Austrian Defense because it was studied by Austrian chess players including Hans Haberditz , Hans Müller , and GM Ernst Grünfeld.The...
(or Austrian Defense) - 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 – Slav DefenseSlav DefenseThe Slav Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Slav is one of the primary defenses to the Queen's Gambit. Although it was analyzed as early as 1590, it was not until the 1920s that it started to be explored extensively...
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 – Chigorin DefenseChigorin DefenseThe Chigorin Defense is a chess opening named for 19th century Russian grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin. An uncommonly played defense to the Queen's Gambit, it begins with the moves:The Chigorin Defense is a chess opening named for 19th century Russian grandmaster Mikhail Chigorin. An uncommonly...
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 – Albin CountergambitAlbin CountergambitThe Albin Countergambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:and the usual continuation is:The opening is an uncommon defense to the Queen's Gambit. In exchange for the gambit pawn, Black has a central wedge at d4 and gets some chances for an attack...
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5 – Baltic DefenseBaltic DefenseThe Baltic Defense is a chess opening characterized by the moves:The Baltic is an unusual variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. In most defenses to the QGD, Black has difficulties developing his queen bishop...
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 and eventual ...c6 – Semi-Slav DefenseSemi-Slav DefenseThe Semi-Slav Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit chess opening, defined by the position reached after the moves:For the Semi-Slav the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings designates codes D43 through D49.-Main variations:...
- 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nf6 – Marshall DefenseMarshall DefenseThe Marshall Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Marshall Defense is a dubious variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined.It was played by Frank Marshall in the 1920s, but he gave it up after losing with it to Alekhine at Baden-Baden in 1925...
(unsound and no longer used by knowledgeable players)
Of the 34 games played in the 1927 World Championship
World Chess Championship 1927
The 1927 World Chess Championship was played between José Raúl Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine. It was played in Buenos Aires from September 16 to November 29, 1927...
between Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
and José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
, all except the first and third began with the Queen's Gambit Declined.
Black avoids 3...Nf6
After 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 (other third moves are also possible: 3.cxd5 may be played to lead to the Exchange line, 3.Nf3 keeps options open, and 3.g3 will transpose to the CatalanCatalan Opening
The Catalan is a chess opening which can be considered to be White adopting a mixture of the Queen's Gambit and Réti Opening: White plays d4 and c4 and fianchettoes the white bishop on g2. A common opening sequence is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2, though the opening can arise from a large number...
), Black's main move is 3...Nf6, though he has other options as well:
- 3... c6 now the Semi-Slav DefenseSemi-Slav DefenseThe Semi-Slav Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit chess opening, defined by the position reached after the moves:For the Semi-Slav the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings designates codes D43 through D49.-Main variations:...
may be reached via 4.Nf3 Nf6, though 4.e4 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 (6.Nc3 c5 gives little) 6...Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Be2 leads to a sharp struggle, and 4.Nf3 dxc4 is the Noteboom Variation, also sometimes known as the Abrahams Variation, after the English master, Gerald AbrahamsGerald AbrahamsGerald Abrahams was an English chess player, author and barrister.He is best known for the "Abrahams Defence" of the Semi-Slav, also known as the Abrahams-Noteboom variation:...
.
- If Black is willing to accept an isolated d-pawn he can play 3... c5. This leads to a variation of the QGD called the Tarrasch DefenseTarrasch DefenseThe Tarrasch Defense is a chess opening characterized by the moves:With his third move, Black makes an aggressive bid for central space. After White plays cxd5 and dxc5, Black will be left with an isolated pawn on d5...
.
- 3... Be7 usually transposes to positions arising from 3...Nf6, and has the advantage, from Black's standpoint, of avoiding the insidious pressure of the main lines in the Exchange Variation. After 3...Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 White has the annoying pin 5.Bg5, but 3...Be7 circumvents this. White will now usually play 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 c6 6.e3, when 6...Bf5 7.g4 became a topical line after its adoption by Mikhail BotvinnikMikhail BotvinnikMikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
in his 1963 title match with Tigran PetrosianTigran PetrosianTigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
.
- 3... Bb4?! confusing a Nimzo–Indian with a Queen’s Gambit (also known as the Berg defense), and at this point an inaccuracy. White has at least two good continuations: 4.Qa4+ Nc6 5.Nf3 where Black is forced to block the c-pawn with the knight, and 4.a3 Bxc3 5.bxc3 and White has the bishop pair almost for free (on the average worth half a pawn), since cxd5 is unstoppable and there will be no doubled pawns as a counterbalance.
Main Variations of QGD (3...Nf6 4.Bg5)
Lines beginning with the moves 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 are covered by ECOEncyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
codes D35–D69. These are old lines that can transpose
Transposition (chess)
A transposition in chess is a sequence of moves that results in a position which may also be reached by another, more common sequence of moves. Transpositions are particularly common in opening, where a given position may be reached by different sequences of moves...
into many other queen pawn openings
Queen's Pawn Game
In the most general sense the term Queen's Pawn Game can refer to any chess opening which starts with the move:It is the second most popular opening move. The name is now usually used to describe openings beginning with the moves 1.d4 d5 where White does not follow through with an early pawn...
. White has several ways of dealing with Black's setup:
- The Tartakower–Makogonov–Bondarevsky System: 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 b6, is one of the most solid continuations for Black.
- The Lasker Defense: 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 h6 7.Bh4 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7, is also a solid line, often leading to the exchange of two sets of minor pieces. It was this line that Viswanathan AnandViswanathan AnandV. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
chose in the final game of the World Chess Championship 2010 in order to defeat Veselin TopalovVeselin TopalovVeselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
and retain the world championship.
- The Orthodox Defense: 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 and now White has two main moves: 8.Bd3 and 8.Qc2. After 8.Bd3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Black has surrendered the center and stands somewhat cramped, but has succeeded in making White lose a tempo by playing Bd3 before Bxc4. White will try to use his advantage in space to attack, whereas Black will try to keep White at bay while striking back at the center. Capablanca's main idea here was the freeing maneuver 9...Nd5 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.0-0 Nxc3 12.Rxc3 e5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5 15.f4 Qe7, which has led to a number of exchanges in the center, though Black must exercise care even in the wake of this simplification. This line was once so frequently played that it has a separate code (D69) in ECO, though the lack of active counter play for Black has made the main line of the Orthodox a backwater in modern practice.
- The Cambridge Springs DefenseCambridge Springs DefenseIn chess, the Cambridge Springs Defense is a variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined and begins with the moves:-Background:...
: 4.Bg5 Nbd7 (setting the Elephant TrapElephant TrapIn chess, the Elephant Trap is a faulty attempt by White to win a pawn in a popular variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. This simple trap has snared thousands of players, generally amateurs....
) 5.e3 c6 6.Nf3 Qa5, was introduced more than a century ago, and is still played. Black intends ...Bb4 and possibly ...Ne4, with pressure along the a5–e1 diagonal. It is popular among amateurs because there are several traps White can fall into, for example 7.Nd2 (one of the main lines, countering Black's pressure along the diagonal) 7...Bb4 8.Qc2 0-0 9.Bd3?? dxc4! (threatening ...Qxg5) 10.Bxf6 cxd3! (a zwischenzugZwischenzugThe zwischenzug is a chess tactic in which a player, instead of playing the expected move first interpolates another move, posing an immediate threat that the opponent must answer, then plays the expected move...
) 11.Qxd3 Nxf6 and Black has won a piece.
The Exchange Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 and White has a pawn majority in the center, Black has a pawn majority on the queenside. This pawn structure gives White the opportunity to either advance his pawns in the center by means of Nge2, f2–f3, followed by e2–e4, or play for a minority attack by means of the plan Rb1, followed by b2–b4–b5, then bxc6 in order to create a weak pawn at c6. While Black can play ...cxb5, or recapture on c6 with a piece, each of these possibilities are even less desirable than the backward pawnBackward pawn
In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind the pawns of the same color on the adjacent files and that cannot be advanced without loss of material, usually the backward pawn itself....
in the open file. For Black, the exchange at d5 has released his light-squared bishop and opened the e-file, giving him the use of e4 as a springboard for central and kingside play. While chances are balanced, Black is usually more or less forced to use his superior activity to launch a piece attack on White's king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
, as the long-term chances in the QGD Exchange structure favour White. The following games are as model games for White:
- Central Pawn Advance: Carlsen vs Jakovenko, Nanjing 2009
- Minority attack: Evans vs Opsahl, Dubrovnik 1950.